In general, apparatus for projecting hockey pucks are known. Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,201 issued to Gordon Allen King on Apr. 8, 1975, the '201 patent discloses an apparatus for projecting hockey pucks. The apparatus includes a base having a bearing for rotatably mounting a sweeper coupled to a rotating means. The rotating means includes a vertical shaft having a crank at its upper end for manually rotating the shaft and the sweeper through a sweep path. When the crank is turned, the vertical shaft rotates, and the sweeper is turned through the sweep path until it strikes a puck and projects it outwardly onto and along an ice, or other playing, surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,677 issued to Edmund Alvares on Oct. 1, 1974, discloses a machine for automatically shooting and propelling a hockey puck. The machine includes a motor with an energy storing spring adjustably attached to the motor shaft. The motor rotates the spring into an energy storing position. Upon release of the spring the spring strikes a puck to propel it in a desired direction at a desired rate of speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,688 issued to David L. Mayne on Jul. 9, 1974, discloses a hockey puck shooting machine which automatically ejects a succession of hockey pucks in timed sequence as an aid in training players in blocking pucks. The machine is adapted to eject pucks at varying speeds, intervals, and with variations in directions so as to provide a random effect such as experienced by a goal keeper or other player. The machine includes a centrifugal ejector for pucks, and a multiple magazine feeding apparatus for delivering one puck at a time to the ejector, at a rate within the capacity of the ejector.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,235 issued to Lawrence Stephan Blake on Jun. 18, 1974, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,910 issued to Orlundo Board on May 30, 1972, also disclose devices for projecting hockey pucks.
While various hockey puck projectors are known, it would be advantageous to provide an apparatus with the capability of projecting pucks at selectable speeds. Additionally, it would be advantageous to provide an apparatus capable of guiding and projecting pucks such that their trajectory and targets are predictable. It would also be advantageous to provide an apparatus capable of projecting a plurality of pucks at a plurality of predefined targets.